Hydraulic properties of soils derived from marine sediments of Cyprus

Laboratory soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) were obtained for compacted marine soils of different lithologies and genesis taken from three different locations in North Cyprus. van Genuchtenʹs model was used to determine the best fit for the laboratory data of the SWCC, and indirect predictions of hydraulic conductivity and diffusivity functions were obtained using the closed-form solution of van Genucten–Mualemʹs model. Studying the effect of some chemical constituents on the hydraulic properties of soils, the calcium carbonate and total soluble salts were observed to influence the desaturation phase of the SWCC. These chemical constituents increased the desaturation time, decreasing the rate of reduction of the hydraulic conductivity during desaturation. It was also observed that higher the plasticity index greater the change in water-content required to reach zero diffusivity at residual water-content.